Oh, diversity! Whitman College is occasionally referred to as “White-man College,” which may provide some insight to the diversity here. Most students recognize the importance of diversity and that lacking it is a problem, but don’t do anything about it, possibly because they are the problem, being white, liberal, atheist/agnostic and upper-middle class themselves. In fact, due to these general trends in diversity, Whitman tends to attract a few students who quite prefer being in a majority of thought in terms of politics and religion.
Meanwhile students with varying backgrounds often describe the adjustment to the homogeny of Whitman as difficult. It seems as though the administration perceives that the lack of racial, political, religious, and socio-economic diversity is a problem but finds itself unsure of how to go about improving, fixing, or dealing with the issue. A variety of on-campus resources are available, from the Intercultural Center to religious groups and a Spirituality Room to various lectures and campus events raising awareness; generally, however, only students who are already aware of the issues take advantage of them. Students feel that Whitman’s events, as fun and educational as they might be, are “preaching to the choir.”
Beyond traditional conceptions of diversity, students themselves have pretty eclectic personalities. Students bring their activities from home and also form new interests on campus. Most students agree that, personality-wise and interest-wise, Whitman is a diverse place. In terms of other forms of diversity? You’ll be hard-pressed to find much of it.
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Diversity at Whitman College
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Political Science and Government '12
3.8
B+
It's a Tricky Subject
Whitman is an extremely tolerant and safe place. As a queer student I have never felt unsafe or disrespected. However, Whitman struggles with finding ways to ensure it's relatively small racial, sexual, political, and religious minorities feel connected to each other and embraced by the community. However, these issues are frequently and passionately discussed on campus and it seems like things are improving. There are also many great resources available to minority students with the Intercultural Center and the Glover Alston Center - an awesome event and hangout space for intercultural clubs and events.
Apr 30, 2012
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Diversity at Whitman College
C
Trying to Become More Diverse but Still Work to Do...
The college is really putting an emphasis on improving diversity and they have done a great job bringing in a lot of international students. However, with some exceptions, the international students seem to form cliques really easily and they don't integrate with the rest of the student body very much. Also, the majority of Whitties come from relatively affluent backgrounds and it can be frustrating to explain to people why you have to work 20+ hrs/week in order to pay for college.
Jan 23, 2012
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Diversity at Whitman College
C+
Whitman Tries, but It's Not Very Diverse
Whitman puts forth much effort to create a diverse student body, but students are typically fairly similar in terms of demographic and diversity data. Most are white, liberal, athletic, and from Washington or Oregon.
Oct 19, 2011
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User rating for Whitman College - Diversity is
2.3 out of 5
based on 17 user reviews.
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